Editing Lucy Walter

{{Short description|Welsh noblewoman and mistress of Charles II of England}}
{{use British English|date=May 2014}}
{{For|the British-American actress|Lucy Walters}}
{{Infobox person
| name               = Lucy Walter
| image              = File:Sir Peter Lely - Lucy Walter.jpg
| caption            = Portrait by [[Peter Lely]], c. 1650
| alias              = Lucy Barlow ([[pseudonym]])
| partner            = Lord Robert Sidney<br/>[[Charles II of England]]<br/>[[Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford]]<br/>Sir [[Henry de Vic]]<br/>Lord Thomas Howard
| children           = [[James Scott, 1st Duke of Monmouth]]<br/>Mary Crofts
| parents            = William Walter<br/>Elizabeth Protheroe
| birth_date         = c. 1630
| birth_place        = [[Roch Castle]], [[Pembrokeshire]], [[Wales]]
| death_date         = 1658 (aged {{circa}} 28)
| death_place        = [[Paris]], [[Kingdom of France|France]]
}}
'''Lucy Walter''' (c. 1630 – 1658), also known as '''Lucy Barlow''', was the first [[Royal mistress|mistress]] of [[King Charles II of England]] and mother of [[James, Duke of Monmouth]]. During the [[Exclusion Crisis]], a Protestant faction wanted to make her son heir to the throne, fuelled by the rumour that the king might have married Lucy, a claim which he denied.

==Life==

=== Ancestry and early life ===
Lucy Walter was born into minor Welsh gentry as the daughter of William Walter (died 1650) and his wife, born Elizabeth Prothero (died 1652), daughter of John Prothero and niece of [[John Vaughan, 1st Earl of Carbery]].{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|p=259}} She was probably born in 1630 at her family's home, [[Roch Castle]] near [[Haverfordwest]] in [[Pembrokeshire]], [[Wales]], and had two brothers, Richard and Justus. She received no formal education but learned [[etiquette]].

As her parents had a strained relationship, they separated in 1640 when Walter was 10 years old. She, her mother and her brothers went to live with her maternal grandmother in London. She may have first met the Sidney family, who held the [[Earl of Leicester|earldom of Leicester]], here through her maternal family members.{{CN|date=May 2024}} In 1647, when Walter was 17, after a long legal battle between her parents, the [[House of Lords]] ordered her and her brothers to live with their father, as their mother could no longer afford to keep them.{{CN|date=May 2024}}

Politician [[Algernon Sidney]] (1623–1683), son of the [[Robert Sidney, 2nd Earl of Leicester|2nd Earl of Leicester]] later stated that he had purchased the [[Prostitution|sexual services]] of Walter for 40 or 50 [[Gold coin|gold coins]], but was called away to military services and missed out on his bargain.{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|p=259}} Walter then sailed to the [[Dutch Republic]], either alone or with her uncle, to join the exiled court of [[Charles II of England|Charles, Prince of Wales]] in [[The Hague]], hoping to find a lover among the many young aristocrats there. She briefly became the [[Mistress (lover)|mistress]] of Robert Sidney, brother of Algernon Sidney.{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|p=259}}

=== Relationship with Charles II ===
[[File:Charles II (Hoecke).jpg|left|thumb|Charles, Prince of Wales (later Charles II), late 1640s]]
In May 1648, Walter managed to meet and charm Prince Charles, who had by then been living in [[Kingdom of France|France]] but visited [[The Hague]] for a short time. They were both only 18, and it is usually assumed that she was his first mistress.{{CN|date=May 2024}} They might have resumed their relationship in September 1648, when he was again in the [[Dutch Republic]]. On 9 April 1649, Walter gave birth to a son, [[James Scott, Duke of Monmouth|James]] (1649–1685), who was acknowledged by Prince Charles as his [[Legitimacy (family law)|illegitimate child]].{{sfn|Ward|1897|p=28}} The child was sent away to a [[wet nurse]] near [[Rotterdam]], while Walter went to live in [[Antwerp]].{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|p=259}}

In August 1649, Walter travelled to [[Saint-Germain-en-Laye]], France to see Charles, who had become king in January after the execution of his father, [[Charles I of England|Charles I]]. She shared a coach with writer and diarist [[John Evelyn]], who described their encounter.

{{Quote|text=I went to [Saint-Germain-en-Laye], to kiss [H]er Majesty's hand; in the coach, which was [[Henry Wilmot, 1st Earl of Rochester|[The Viscount Wilmot]]]'s, went Mrs. Barlow, the King's mistress, and mother of the Duke of Monmouth, a brown, beautiful, bold, but insipid creature.|author=John Evelyn|title=[[John Evelyn's Diary|''Diary of John Evelyn'']]}}

During July and August 1649 she stayed with Charles in [[Paris]] and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, and she may have accompanied him to [[Jersey]] in September.{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|p=259}} It was around this time that she started using the name of her relative, John Barlow of [[Slebech]].{{CN|date=May 2024}}

=== Later life ===
[[File:Peter Lely (1618-1680) (after) - James Scott (1649–1685), Duke of Monmouth, KG, in Garter Robes - 1171154 - National Trust.jpg|right|thumb|James Scott, Duke of Monmouth, Walter's son, circa 1682]]
In June 1650, Charles left for [[Scotland]]. There was an attempt to kidnap Walter's son, who was missing for 10 days but was eventually found. Her mother took him to [[Paris]] for his safety, where she had an affair with [[Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford|Theobald Taaffe, 2nd Viscount Taaffe]] (later 1st Earl of Carlingford; circa 1603–1677). On 6 May 1651, she gave birth to a daughter, Mary, whose father was probably the Viscount Taaffe.{{sfn|Clifton|2006}} After the [[Battle of Worcester]] in late 1651, Charles [[Escape of Charles II|escaped from England]] and returned to the [[Dutch Republic]]. This time, he made it clear to Walter that their relationship was over, which she could not accept. For the next four years, she was involved in one scandal after another, causing much embarrassment to the exiled royal court.{{sfn|Clifton|2006}} During this time, she considered marrying Sir [[Henry de Vic]], 1st Baronet (circa 1599–1671), which eventually came to nothing.{{CN|date=May 2024}} She then returned to The Hague and became the mistress of Thomas Howard, brother of the [[James Howard, 3rd Earl of Suffolk|3rd Earl of Suffolk]].

In early 1656, when she was in [[Cologne]], some of the king's friends persuaded her to return to England by giving her cash and a pearl necklace and promising her a yearly [[Allowance (money)|allowance]] of £400.{{sfn|Clifton|2006}}{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|p=259}} She went to live in [[London]] with Lord Thomas, her children and a [[maid]], Ann Hill. They lived over a barber shop near [[Somerset House]].<ref>{{harvnb|Seccombe|1899|p=259}} cites Thurloe, ''State Papers'', v. 160, 169.</ref> She was suspected of being a [[Espionage|spy]], and at the end of June 1656, she and Hill were arrested and imprisoned in the [[Tower of London]]. After interrogation, they were released in July and deported back to the Dutch Republic. By this time, Lord Thomas had left her and she had no money to feed her children, as King Charles was unable to pay her allowance.<ref>{{harvnb|Seccombe|1899|p=259}} cites ''Mercure historique et politique''. No. 318.</ref> She threatened him with releasing his letters to the public if he did not pay. The king, wanting custody of their eight-year-old son, attempted to kidnap him in December 1657, and succeeded at capturing him in March 1658. James was then sent to Paris and placed in the care of William, Lord Crofts, whose [[surname]] he started using.{{CN|date=May 2024}}{{sfn|Clifton|2006}}

Soon, Walter also moved to Paris. She was dying from a [[Sexually transmitted infection|venereal disease]]. She made a [[General Confession]] of her life to [[John Cosin]], future [[Bishop of Durham]], insisting that she had married King Charles. She allegedly gave proof of this to Cosin, which he kept in a black box. This box was then supposedly inherited by Sir Gilbert Gerard, Cosin's son-in-law.{{CN|date=May 2024}} Walter died between 29 August and December 1658 and was probably buried in the [[Huguenots|Huguenot]] cemetery in the [[Faubourg Saint-Germain|Faubourg Saint-German]] district of Paris.{{sfn|Clifton|2006}} After his restoration to the throne, King Charles took their son James to England and created him Duke of Monmouth. Because of his complicated childhood, James never learned to read and write properly.{{CN|date=May 2024}}

==Aftermath during the Exclusion Crisis==
The marriage of King Charles and [[Catherine of Braganza]] (1638–1705) did not produce legitimate children, leaving his brother, [[James II of England|James, Duke of York]] (1633–1701) as heir to the throne. The duke was [[Catholic Church|Catholic]], and many people wanted a [[Protestantism|Protestant]] monarch. Rumours spread that the king had married Lucy Walters, making the Duke of Monmouth legitimate.{{CN|date=May 2024}}

Sir Gilbert Gerard, who supposedly had the box containing proof of the marriage was summoned before the [[Privy Council of the United Kingdom|Privy Council]] in January 1678, and [[Testimony|testified]] that he knew nothing of the proof. The king also denied the marriage. After King Charles' death in 1685, the Duke of York became king as James II, and the Duke of Monmouth started a [[Monmouth rebellion|rebellion against him]], which was crushed in the [[Battle of Sedgemoor]]. The duke was [[Decapitation|beheaded]].<ref>{{London Gazette|issue=2051|page=2|date=13 July 1685}}</ref>

== Issue ==
Lucy Walter had two children:

* By [[Charles II of England]] (1630–1685):
** [[James Scott, Duke of Monmouth]] (9 April 1649, [[Rotterdam]] – 15 July 1685, London), who married [[Anne Scott, 1st Duchess of Buccleuch|Lady Anne Scott]] (1651–1732) and had issue;{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|pp=259–260}}
* Probably by [[Theobald Taaffe, 1st Earl of Carlingford]] (1603–1677):
# Mary Crofts (born 6 May 1651, The Hague),{{sfn|Clifton|2006}} who married first [[William Sarsfield (died 1675)|William Sarsfield]] (died 1675) and had issue, and second William Fanshawe (died 1708), with whom she also had issue.{{sfn|Seccombe|1899|p=260}}

==In popular culture==
* Her descendant, Lord George Scott, published a biography called ''Lucy Walter Wife or Mistress''. London: George G. Harrap & Co. Ltd, 1947.
* The novelist [[Elizabeth Goudge]] published a novel about Lucy, ''The Child from the Sea'', in 1970.
* In the 2003 television documentary, ''The Boy Who Would Be King'', Sandra Darnell portrays Lucy Walter.

==See also==
*[[English and British royal mistresses]]

==Notes==
{{notelist}}

{{reflist|30em}}

==References==
* {{cite EB1911 |wstitle=Walter, Lucy |volume=28 |pages=296–297}} Endnotes:
** Steinmann, Althorp Memoirs (1869), pp.&nbsp;77 seq. and Addenda (1880);
** J. S. Clarke, Life of James II. (2 vols., 1816);
**Clarendon State Papers, vol. iii. (Oxford, 1869–1876);
**John Evelyn, Diary, edited by W. Bray (1890).
* {{cite ODNB| first=Robin |last=Clifton |title=Walter, Lucy (1630?–1658) |orig-year=2004 |date=October 2006 |id=28639}}
* {{cite DNB |last=Ward |first=Adolphus William |wstitle=Scott, James (1649–1685) |volume=51 |pages=28–37}}

'''Attribution'''
* {{DNB |last=Seccombe |first=Thomas |wstitle=Walter, Lucy |volume=59 |pages=259–260}} Endnotes: contains 23 sources.

==Further reading==
*{{cite encyclopedia |date=10 July 2012 |title=Lucy Walter |encyclopedia=Britannica Encyclopaedia |url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/635108/Lucy-Walter}}
*{{cite book |editor-last=Gilbert |editor-first=George |year=1913 |chapter=Appendix A: Lucy Walter Some Evidence for a brief for the defence |title=Memoirs of the court of England in 1675: Translated from the original French by Mrs. William Henry Arthur, edited, rev., and with annotations ... |publisher=London & New York: John Lane; Toronto:Bell and Cockburn|pages=[https://archive.org/stream/courtenglandheny00aulnuoft#page/343/mode/1up 343]–425 |url=https://archive.org/details/courtenglandheny00aulnuoft}} — A source that is critical of the tone and some of the facts (such as the daughter Mary's stated date of birth) in Thomas Seccombe's ''DNB'' article.
* {{cite book |last=Jesse |first=John Heneage |year=1840 |title=Memoirs of the Court of England During the Reign of the Stuarts: Including the Protectorate |volume=2 |publisher=R. Bentley |chapter=Lucy Walters |pages=[https://archive.org/details/memoirscourteng21jessgoog/page/n226 217]–224}} – A source that presents the information in the same way Thomas Seccombe's DNB article but with additional details.
*{{Cite DWB |last=Rees |first=Sir James Frederick |year=2009  |title=Walter, Lucy  |id=s-WALT-LUC-1630}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=May 2014}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Walter, Lucy}}
[[Category:House of Stuart|Lucy]]
[[Category:Mistresses of Charles II of England]]
[[Category:1658 deaths]]
[[Category:Year of birth uncertain]]
[[Category:People from Haverfordwest]]
[[Category:17th-century Welsh women]]
[[Category:17th-century Welsh people]]
[[Category:Infectious disease deaths in France]]